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October 6th, 2012- OUR MONTHLY 4-hour ZAZENKAI!

DUE TO SOUND and OTHER TECHNICAL 'NON-PROBLEMS', OUR CHANTING SERVICE IS AFTER FIRST ZAZEN SITTING TODAY.

THE THEME OF TODAY'S ZAZENKAI TALK WILL BE BASED ON MASTER DOGEN'S SHOBOGENZO-SHOJI (LIFE-&-DEATH), TEXT BELOW IN THIS THREAD.

Dear All,

Please 'sit-a-long' with our MONTHLY4-hourZAZENKAI, netcast LIVE8am to noon Japan time Saturday morning (that is New York 7pm to 11pm, Los Angeles 4pm to 8pm (Friday night), London midnight to 4am and Paris 1am to 5am (early Saturday morning))

... to be visible at the following link during those times and any time thereafter ...

LIVE ZAZENKAI NETCAST at GOOGLE+ IS HERE:CLICK ON THE TAB ON LOWER RIGHT FOR 'FULL SCREEN

FOR THOSE NOT ALREADY MEMBERS OF THE CIRCLE WHO WISH TO JOIN TO SIT LIVE WITH A CAMERA, INSTRUCTIONS are posted AT THIS LINK. WE ARE NOW LIMITED TO 10 INDIVIDUALS WITH CAMERAS, BUT ANY NUMBER CAN WATCH LIVE 'ONE WAY' AND SIT-A-LONG VIA THE ABOVE SCREEN. IF JOINING WITH CAMERA, PLEASE MAKE SURE YOUR MICROPHONE IS MUTED:

Our Zazenkai consists of our chanting the 'Heart Sutra' and the 'Identity of Relative and Absolute (Sandokai)' in English (please download our Chant Book at the link below), some full floor prostrations (please follow along with me ... or a simple Gassho can be substituted if you wish), a little talk by me ... and we close with the 'Metta Chant', followed at the end with the 'Verse of Atonement' and 'The Four Vows'. Oh, and lots and lots of Zazen and walkin' Kinhin in between!

Please download and print out the Chants we will recite at the following link (PDF):

I STRONGLY SUGGEST THAT YOU POSITION YOUR ZAFU ON THE FLOOR IN A PLACE WHERE YOU ARE NOT STARING DIRECTLY AT THE COMPUTER SCREEN, BUT CAN GLANCE OVER AND SEE THE SCREEN WHEN NECESSARY. YOUR ZAFU SHOULD ALSO BE IN A POSITION WHERE YOU CAN SEE THE COMPUTER SCREEN WHILE STANDING IN FRONT OF THE ZAFU FOR THE CEREMONIES, AND HAVE ROOM FOR BOWING AND KINHIN.

ALSO, REMEMBER TO SET YOUR COMPUTER (& SCREEN SAVER) SO THAT IT DOES NOT SHUT OFF DURING THE 4 HOURS.

I hope you will join us ... an open Zafu is waiting. When we drop all thought of 'here' 'there' 'now' 'then' ... we are sitting all together!

THE THEME OF TODAY'S ZAZENKAI TALK WILL BE BASED ON MASTER DOGEN'S SHOBOGENZO-SHOJI (LIFE-&-DEATH).

[Shobogenzo Ninety-two]
Shōji
Life and Death

(Translation by Gudo Wafu Nishijima and Chodo Cross)

Because in life and death there is buddha, there is no life and death.
Again, we can say: Because in life and death there is no “buddha,” we are
not deluded in life and death. [This] meaning was expressed by Masters Kassan and
Jōzan.** [These] are the words of the two Zen masters; they are the words of
people who had got the truth, and so they were decidedly not laid down in
vain. A person who wishes to get free from life and death should just illuminate
this truth. If a person looks for buddha outside of life and death, that
is like pointing a cart north and making for [the south country of] Etsu, or
like facing south and hoping to see the North Star. It is to be amassing more
and more causes of life and death, and to have utterly lost the way of liberation.
When we understand that only life and death itself is nirvana, there is
nothing to hate as life and death and nothing to aspire to as nirvana. Then,
for the first time, the means exist to get free from life and death. To understand
that we move from birth to death is a mistake. Birth is a state at one
moment; it already has a past and will have a future. For this reason, it is said
in the Buddha-Dharma that appearance is just nonappearance. Extinction
also is a state at one moment; it too has a past and a future. This is why it is
said that disappearance is just non-disappearance. In the time called “life,”
there is nothing besides life. In the time called “death,” there is nothing besides
death. Thus, when life comes it is just life, and when death comes it is just
death; do not say, confronting them, that you will serve [be a slave to] them, and do not
wish for them.

This life and death is just the sacred life of buddha. If we hate it
and want to get rid of it, that is just wanting to lose the sacred life of buddha.
If we stick in it, if we attach to life and death, this also is to lose the sacred
life of buddha. We confine ourselves to the condition of buddha. When we
are without dislike and without longing, then for the first time we enter the
mind of buddha. But do not consider it with mind and do not say it with
words! When we just let go of our own body and our own mind and throw
them into the house of buddha, they are set into action from the side of
buddha; then when we continue to obey this, without exerting any force and
without expending any mind, we get free from life and death and become
buddha. Who would wish to linger in mind?

There is a very easy way to become buddha. Not committing wrongs;
being without attachment to life and death; showing deep compassion for
all living beings, venerating those above and pitying those below; being free
of the mind that dislikes the ten thousand things and free of the mind that
desires them; the mind being without thought and without grief: this is called
buddha. Look for nothing else.

Due to recent illness and now a flareup of back problem, will have to do this in pieces. Am with you and thank you.

Rich, hope your condition improves. I had a flu recently and did my "sitting" lying down. Also resat a Zazenkai in pieces. It's interesting how different conditions present opportunities to experience our practice outside of routine or fixed positions and schedules. It's all practice. Be well, and thanks for being here and practicing with us. Your presence means a lot.

Sorry for the sound and technical "non-problems" today. I pushed the two buttons I am not supposed to push. Also, next time, I will remember to get close to the microphone for talks. AFTER 5 YEARS OF THESE ZAZENKAI, I THINK I AM FINALLY GETTING THE HANG OF IT!

It's interesting to note the mind/body's reaction when the unexpected routine change. However sitting is sitting and it is always a pleasure to sit with you all, even recorded as I do. Gassho to such reminders.